The Cat Who Went Underground [Hardcover]

Lilian Jackson Braun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1989 | Series: Cat Who...

Qwill's hopes for a quiet summer vacation are dashed when the carpenter he hires to do some renovations on his cabin disappears without a word, and Qwill finds himself suspected of murder.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While the 10th entry in the "Cat Who" series is enjoyable and has its charms, it is less a mystery than a recital of how veteran reporter and millionaire Jim Qwilleran and his feline companions, Koko and Yum Yum, spent their vacation, and an account of the people they encountered. Moreover, most of the plot development occurs near the end, so the denouement appears contrived. Fiftyish bachelor "Qwill" decides to spend the summer at a lakefront cottage near the resort town of Mooseville. His vision of an idyllic respite is shattered from the moment he arrives. Almost everything in the house needs repair and Qwill could use more space; adding a wing is the logical solution, but he learns that most such jobs are done by itinerant builders. Fortunately, Clem Cottle, a local handyman, accepts the project, but he soon disappears, the third carpenter in recent months to vanish; two others met with fatal freak accidents. When Clem's replacement, Iggy Small, misses work, and his corpse is found in Qwill's basement, our vacationing hero suspects a serial killer and begins to investigate. Of course, the intelligent Koko helps solve the crime. For inveterate Braun ( The Cat Who Sniffed Glue ) fans only. Mystery Guild main selection, Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate selections.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lilian Jackson Braun began writing her Cat Who... detective series when one of her own Siamese cats mysteriously fell to its death from her apartment block. She and her husband, Earl, live in the mountains of North Carolina. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (March 22, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039913431X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399134319
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,119,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lilian Jackson Braun is the author of twenty-nine bestselling Cat Who . . . novels and three short story collections.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WHO'S KILLING THE CARPENTERS?, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cat Who Went Underground (Mass Market Paperback)

Number 9 in "The Cat Who ... " series. Qwill and the cats return to the cabin for the summer. Residents warn him that local carpenters tend to disappear without finishing their jobs. When Qwill loses two carpenters, he doesn't accept that they are just irresponsible people who took off. He wants to know what really happened. This book is a little more disturbing than most in this series, but shouldn't cause any nightmares among us sensitive types. The characters are perhaps a little less developed or a little less realistic than in some of the books. But still, it's a good book and keeps you wanting more.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cat Who Went Underground, September 29, 2005

By 

J. R. Bebeau (Golden Valley Az.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Went Underground (Audio Cassette)

Just another of the on going saga of CoCo and Yum Yum. Great stories very well written. George Guidall has an outstanding voice I can't imagine this series of books without him.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Which Qwilleran, Koko and Yum Yum . . ., May 2, 2005

By 

David Zampino "21st Century Hobbit" (Delavan, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Went Underground (Mass Market Paperback)

. . . decide to spend the summer up by the lake. (Readers of "The Cat Who Played Brahams" will remember Qwill's cottage.) With Polly out of town, Qwill feels that "getting away from it all" would, in fact, be a good idea.

Alas, nothing ever goes as planned for Mr. Q! All he wants is to have a carpenter add an addition to his cabin . . . and, strangely enough, the carpenters in town seem to be disappearing one by one.

In this addition to "The Cat Who . . ." series, we are introduced to John Bushland, the photographer from nearby Lockmaster -- a character who will reappear in later books. We learn that Qwill has (once again) terribly bad luck with regard to boating. And Koko and Yum Yum are ever their charming selves. Indeed, it is Koko who is able to clue Qwill into who has it in for carpenters!

While some of "The Cat Who . . ." books have fairly thin plots, the mystery here is good and well-crafted, with a psychological twist not necessarily found in other books in the series.

For my money, this is certainly one of the better additions to this series.